This week a film hits theaters that pits the Roman Catholic establishment against a government they believe is infringing on their religious rights, and they are willing to fight back.

Sound familiar?

Oddly enough, this isn’t a film about the current contraception mandate debate between Catholics and the Obama administration.

Instead, For Greater Glory, directed by Dean Wright and starring well-known actors Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria and Peter O’Toole, is an ensemble epic telling the dramatic story of a lesser known period of Mexican history – the Cristeros War (1926-1929) – when zealous Catholic rebels fought back against the secular policies of President Calles’ government.

Dennis Rice of Visio Entertainment, who is marketing the film, said, “There are not enough movies portraying Hispanics as regular people or as heroes in Hollywood.”

“We tend to stereotype HIspanics as cleaning ladies, gardeners or gang-bangers,” he said.

“This is an opportunity to recognize characters who are willing to die for faith and freedom, no different than those who sacrificed their life in our revolution or in the World Wars, they are all role models and heroes.”

Including graphic battle scenes between the federales (government troops) and the Cristeros (Catholic rebels), the story focuses on the emotional journey of General Enrique Gorostieta, himself an agnostic at the beginning of the film, who leads the Cristeros into battle due to his belief in religious freedom and out of appreciation for his wife’s faith.

As Rice readily points out, this film is not about religion versus the state or the inerrancy of Roman Catholicism, its about freedom.

“It is not just a Catholic story, not just a Mexican story,” said Rice, “it is about basic human rights and freedoms, one of which is religious freedom.”

“For me, Gorostieta is like the Mexican William Wallace,” said Rice.

Drawing on such vivid historical connections that will resonate with movie goers who enjoyed the classic film Braveheart, Rice makes a strong point about the potency of For Greater Glory. While the film certainly has its critics (including Andrew Schenker of Slant Magazine) and is not likely to draw in the crowds that other summer blockbusters might, it certainly is a gripping story.

More importantly, it details an oft forgotten epoch in Mexican history and beautifully brings it to the big screen. The Cristeros War is one of those relatively unknown, but still very important, occurrences in the 20th century with a long-lasting legacy. Due to repression of the history several generations of Mexicans, and undoubtedly untold numbers of Americans, are ignorant of this important period in the history of Mexico. Rice suggested this is due to the fact that the government in the film remained in power for 70 years following the end of the conflict.

Hence Rice said, “It’s a dark secret that no one knows about or was taught in schools, it needs to be made known.”

Perla Gil de Rodriguez, a deaconess in a Hispanic church in Houston, and a Mexican-American, said she never heard of the Cristeros War until she asked her mother about it.

“I was never taught about it in school or in my family growing up,” said Rodriguez, “even though I am religious, even though I have Mexican heritage, I didn’t know.”

For Mexicans and Mexican-Americans this film will push back decades of imposed ignorance, and for those non-Latino Americans who make the choice to see the film, it is an entertaining opportunity to learn more about the passion and practice of Mexican Catholicism and its historical rootedness in the identity of Mexican people. Anyone who sees the film will appreciate the core characters’ faith and understand their desire for religious liberty.

As Rice said, “Whether you are a Catholic, Jew, agnostic or Evangelical the ability to worship freely is something that is an inalienable right, certainly here in America, that’s why we want people to see this film and know the Cristero’s story.”